Latest News

Captain Paul McGinn spent months on the sidelines, missing out on the semi-final in the process, but the Motherwell skipper is pleased to be back in the fold. 

McGinn talks of the frustration on missing out in important matches, as well as talking about the importance of gaining results this month.

Manager Stuart Kettlewell says Liam Gordon will be assessed ahead of this weekend’s trip to Easter Road, with the defender coming off as a precaution after two head knocks on Wednesday night. 

Kettlewell goes into the detail about the danger of backing into a defender who is in the air. He also touches on the importance of having leaders like Paul McGinn and Stephen O’Donnell back on the pitch.

Motherwell are preparing for their seventh game in 21 days, with Kettlewell left a bit confused as to why the schedule has been so tight.

The Steelmen will play their seventh game in 21 days on Saturday 11 January when they travel to Edinburgh to take on Hibernian. 

Kick off is 3pm at Easter Road.

How to follow the game

If you are outside the UK, you can watch the game via Motherwell TV.

Should you be in the UK, it will be live commentary only.

Kit Watch

We will be wearing our away kit for this match.

Squad News

Ross Callachan, Zach Robinson, Steve Seddon, Apostolos Stamatelopoulos and Lennon Miller are out for this game. Harry Paton and Liam Gordon will be assessed.

Motherwell’s Fortunes

The Steelmen moved to within three points of third on Wednesday night, thanks to a hard-fought 0-0 draw against Kilmarnock.

Aston Oxborough was in top form between the posts to grab his second clean sheet in two games. It’s one a-piece when it comes to the head-to-head between Motherwell and Hibernian. Goals from Apostolos Stamatelopoulos and Andy Halliday secured a 2-1 win at Easter Road in October for the Well, with Hibernian winning 3-0 in the most recent match at Fir Park.

Motherwell’s progression continues, with Stuart Kettlewell’s side still ten points better off from this time last season.

Opposition Report

It’s been a season of two halves so far for the Hibees and David Gray. Named permanent boss in the summer, Gray came under pressure early on, with just two wins in 15 games.

A 3-0 win at Fir Park sparked Hibs into life and they have since won five of their last eight games, including two draws. Moving from the bottom end of the table to the cusp of top-six, Gray has turned fortunes around with Hibs looking up the table.

Nicky Cadden has impressed and picked up the Premiership December player of the month award.

Seven of our academy graduates have had their loans extended until the end of the season. 

Those who will remain at their respective clubs until the end of the campaign are:

• Dylan Wells (Edinburgh City)
• Mark Ferrie (Bonnyrigg Rose)
• Matty Connelly (East Kilbride)
• Olly Whyte (Cowdenbeath)
• Max Ross (Albion Rovers)
• Brannan McDermott (Broomhill)
• Luca Ross (Annan Athletic)

Best of luck, lads.

Motherwell are facing seven games in 21 days thanks to their postponed match against Kilmarnock being crammed in on Wednesday night.

The Steelmen travelled to Ayrshire, a place where they hadn’t tasted victory in almost four years. Aston Oxborough had to be at his very best keep Killie at bay, and when they did eventually get past him, VAR was on hand to rule Brad Lyons’ goal out for offside.

In a game where Motherwell were second-best, defenders stuck their body’s on the line to hold onto their clean sheet, with the game ending goalless and the Steelmen moving to within three points of third.

Motherwell moved a point closer to Dundee United in third place on Wednesday night after the Steelmen drew 0-0 with Kilmarnock at Rugby Park. 

Goalkeeper Aston Oxborough had to work hard for his second clean sheet in as many matches, with Killie starting on the front foot from the off.

Marley Watkins looked set to at least hit the target inside the penalty area after just three minutes, but the Kilmarnock forward got the connection wrong, and his effort trundled past the post.

Oxborough produced a sensational save from a corner in the early stages. Joe Wright connected well with a header, but the Motherwell number one clawed the ball to safety.

With a quarter of an hour gone, Motherwell were presented with their first chance of the evening. After a good interchange with Marvin Kaleta, Tony Watt fizzed a low effort at goal, which forced Robbie McCrorie into action.

With Motherwell seemingly growing into the game, that momentum would change three minutes later. After Dan Casey’s pass was intercepted by the Killie backline, Fraser Murray brought the ball forward and fed Brad Lyons, who poked past the keeper. Having celebrated with the jubilant home support, VAR would have its say, ruling the goal out for offside.

Motherwell were digging deep, but they almost conceded on the stroke of half time. Again from a corner, Kilmarnock would create problems. Having had one already ruled out, Lyons was looking to get on the scoresheet, and his header came crashing off the bar. Half time, 0-0.

Neither team made any changes for the second period, and it was Watt who had a shot saved just before the hour mark, which was the first real notable chance of the half.

On 75 minutes, Oxborough was once again called into action, saving well from Watkins. Debutant Kai Andrews was introduced into the action and had an impact straight away.

He won the ball back for his side, Moses Ebiye nutmegged the defender, and set up Watt, who couldn’t get the strike on target. Stephen O’Donnell was presented with a big opportunity to snatch the win, but the full-back watched the ball go wide.

Kilmarnock weren’t done yet, however, and substitute Bruce Anderson had a big chance in stoppage time to win it, but the number nine’s effort didn’t trouble the keeper.

Jack Burroughs had one last chance at the death from a Bobby Wales pass, but Dan Casey was on hand to defend the situation.

Back-to-back clean sheets for the Steelmen, with four points from their last two matches, has them on 31 points, three behind Dundee United in third. Motherwell are on the road again on Saturday, travelling to the capital to face Hibernian.

Stuart Kettlewell gives his thoughts on the goalless draw with Kilmarnock.

The last-minute equalisers, refereeing controversies and memorable goals are the key thought-provoking moments of discussion that engages football supporters across the country, and the mid-season break will enable plenty of time for Head Coach Paul Brownlie to reflect on the 2024/25 SWPL campaign so far. 

The women of steel remain firmly in the ascendency, as they chase their long-awaited and evaded ambition of a top-six finish in the Scottish Women’s Premier League table. Motherwell have maintained an advantage over their closest rivals Partick Thistle for much of the 2024/25 SWPL campaign, after a 1-1 stalemate in the last meeting between the sides at Petershill Park in November.

Motherwell have encountered four defeats in the SWPL since September, all coming against title-chasers Rangers, Celtic and Glasgow City. However, in two of their last three fixtures against the full-time top-three sides, Paul Brownlie’s teams were only defeated by a single-goal deficit. In their other five fixtures throughout that time, the women of steel have won four and drew once.

“I’m really pleased with how we’ve performed over the past few months,” Brownlie noted.

“We have really progressed past the initial introduction phase for all our summer additions, and have found a system that the players have really settled into and competed well in. I’m delighted with how we’ve approached and tested the full-time teams, we haven’t sat back and defended in our own penalty box, we’ve taken the game to them all and were deserving of achieving points.

“As with any season, there will always be areas and aspects of our style of play that could be adapted or utilised more effectively, but we are constantly learning and improving ourselves collectively as a squad. Ultimately, we set out a clear objective at the start of the season to finish in the top-six in the SWPL table, and at the halfway stage, we are currently in the position where we want to be which is very pleasing, but the job isn’t close to being completed yet.”

Alongside the closely-fought league campaign, Paul Brownlie’s side confidently secured their place in Round Four of the Scottish Cup, defeating SWPL2 side Rossvale with an assured seven-goal victory. There were seven different goalscorers on display, as Sophie Black, Bailley Collins, Louisa Boyes, Jenna Penman, Lucy Barclay, Sienna McGoldrick and Mason Clark all added their names to the scoresheet. The women of steel were drawn with another SWPL2 club in the round of sixteen, as Bonnyrigg Rose will head to South Lanarkshire to face the hosts at K-Park in the opening fixtures of 2025.

Motherwell will be keen to surpass their Sky Sports league Cup campaign, where they achieved a place in the Quarter-Final stage after defeating local rivals Hamilton following an enthralling penalty shootout, but were eventually defeated by defending champions Rangers.

“The cup campaigns are the perfect opportunity for the team to succeed,” Brownlie emphasised.

“Cup matches are one-off opportunities for the team to progress to the next round, where they can play without the pressurised environment of a league campaign. We achieved real success in 2023, securing a place in the Semi-Final and contested the first domestic women’s match to be played at the National Stadium, Hampden Park. These are experiences that can last a lifetime for the players and can pave the way for the next generation of players coming through, so these opportunities are ones that we really want to capitalise on.

“Bonnyrigg will be another tough task. While the result against Rossvale might look incredibly one-sided, we were really under pressure in the opening stages of the game, and until the second-half; we hadn’t found our standards and hit the correct gear. Bonnyrigg are in the round of sixteen for a reason, they have rightfully earned their place and will be looking to create history by reaching the Quarter-Final stage, but we are confident of the ability within the squad and will be looking to progress to the next round.

The women of steel’s convincing rub of form will have intrigued and enticed the supporters to travel to K-Park in their numbers, with attendances steadily progressing season by season, and the coaching staff are keen to reward their efforts.

“We have been really pleased with the support for the squad this season,” Brownlie explained.

“The women’s game and the popularity of supporting women’s football is continuing to rapidly grow, and we are looking to reward the support from the stands with our performances on the pitch.

“The squad have their sights set on progressing in the cup competitions and finishing the SWPL season inside the top-six, but we aren’t going to get ahead of ourselves. We are pleased with where we are at the halfway stage, but we know that there will still be a considerable amount of work to do when we return in the new year.

“We hope everyone has a happy new year, and we will see you in 2025.”